SM Entertainment and HYBE are set to collaborate in a new project. On April 17, SM Entertainment announced that they would be launching official artist communities on Weverse in the second half of the year, along with official fan club services managed through membership services, to engage with fans in multiple ways. Currently, SM uses the private messaging service DearU bubble for direct communication between artists and fans, but with Weverse, they intend to offer individual artist communities, various media content, and commerce services to fans. According to SM, this collaboration between DearU bubble and Weverse will bring to life a fan-centric approach known as "SM 3.0."
Additionally, SM will join Weverse Shop, a platform that enables agencies to sell their artists' albums and merchandise. In the future, albums and merchandise from SM artists will be available on Weverse Shop, SMTOWN &STORE, and other official online stores.
Following their withdrawal from the acquisition of SM, HYBE agreed to collaborate with SM in the platform sector. Although the details of the collaboration have not been disclosed, HYBE previously stated that the two companies had reached a significant agreement.
